Anthony Lane in the 5/27/24 issue of The New Yorker asks this question in his piece on Blinkist (an app that summarizes books in bite sized portions called Blinks, some as short as 20 minutes):
“If Twain’s book, or Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” can be scrunched down to a near-minimum, for speed-reading and easy listening, is that a travesty or a useful prop? Do little bits of literature retain the power to provoke us, and even spur us on to grander things, or are they, in fact, worse than no literature at all?”
Fyodor Dostoevsky looking like he has thoughts on the matter.
Ooof. Ever since the early years of Covid, I’ve been wary of the black and white binary. While it’s easier to claim a “bad!” or a “good!” side, doing so brings me to a righteous place where these days I seldom feel at ease. So I’m leaning away from the “yes or no” here, too, and toward “yes/and”. What do you think? Are little bits better than no bits? Or does it depend on what the bit is?
Well, I personally do see the value in little quotes or bite-sized instagram poems that you can "consume" in a minute or so, so I think that any little piece of literature, however small, is worth reading and does bring value.
However, I think there's something lost when we abbreviate great works of literature. I think when you read a book it's essential that you're fully immersed in that world for 20 or 30 hours or however long it takes to read the book. First of all, because being immersed is part of the experience, and it brings you out of yourself. The book is meant to be a whole journey. Secondly, because the writer most likely spent years, even decades of their life, writing it. Why should we take a shortcut?
I also think we need to be conscious of the ways in which we are shortening attention spans.
I love that you brought the metaphor of the book as a journey here, Allison! A snipit would be one stop on that path. Thanks for circling this conversation to author’s intention. That’s an important consideration!
Well, I personally do see the value in little quotes or bite-sized instagram poems that you can "consume" in a minute or so, so I think that any little piece of literature, however small, is worth reading and does bring value.
However, I think there's something lost when we abbreviate great works of literature. I think when you read a book it's essential that you're fully immersed in that world for 20 or 30 hours or however long it takes to read the book. First of all, because being immersed is part of the experience, and it brings you out of yourself. The book is meant to be a whole journey. Secondly, because the writer most likely spent years, even decades of their life, writing it. Why should we take a shortcut?
I also think we need to be conscious of the ways in which we are shortening attention spans.
I love that you brought the metaphor of the book as a journey here, Allison! A snipit would be one stop on that path. Thanks for circling this conversation to author’s intention. That’s an important consideration!